Our favorite NC State Fair food: 10 dishes to try

There are more than 80 new food items at the North Carolina State Fair this year. We had a chance to try some of those items during the annual Deep Fried Media Luncheon on Monday. 

We tried a lot of food! Here are some of our favorites:

Sweet treats to try at the NC State Fair

• The Salted Caramel Crunch Dough-Licious Special (Kora’s Cookie Dough) - Fried cookie dough with vanilla ice cream, topped with salted caramel and a salted chocolate velvet cream cookie. We loved the crunch of the fried cookie dough!

• Chocolate-Covered Potato Chip Caramel Apple (The Candi Queen) - A caramel apple topped with ruffled potato chips dipped in milk chocolate. Tart, sweet and salty - we liked the balance between the flavors.

• Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cup (Mini’s Chocolate Tap / Bubba’s Bacon) - This cup has fresh strawberries, crispy kataifi dough, pistachio cream and melted chocolate. The chocolate will harden so eat this quickly.
• Cinna Mozza (Golden K Dogs) - It is like a churro but filled with mozzerella cheese.

Savory favorites at the NC State Fair

• Hawaiian Street Corn (Douglas Farms) - Served inside a pineapple, this corn features bacon and cheese. It is a fun take on traditional Mexican street corn. 
• Swordfish Pop (Oak City Fish and Chips) - Deep fried and on a stick, this is Oak City's latest fair offering. If you haven't had swordfish before, it isn't really "fishy" and has a more milder sweeter taste than other fish.
• Pickle Fries (Davis Concessions) - These are not fried pickles. In fact, they are pickle flavored French fries served with ranch. It is simple and delicious.  

• BBQ Doughnut (D&J Concessions) - This is kind of like a hushpuppy with barbecue in the middle and topped with bacon bits and slaw. dipped in corn meal batter in the shape of a doughnut. Sprinkled with bacon bits.

• Chicken Caesar Mac Stack (Hot Chix Hotcakes & Chicken) - Everything in one cup - white cheddar mac and cheese with fried chicken, Caesar dressing and cheese. The layers of mac and chicken worked really well together.

• Cowgirl Bites (Fat Boys BBQ) - Pimento cheese and pork barbecue balls deep fried and drizzled with sweet and tangy BBQ sauce. This dish was sweet, crunchy and one of our favorites.
• Home Style Ranch Deep Fried Cheese Curds (The Cheese Curd Shack) - Wisconsin White Cheddar Cheese Curds breaded with Home Style Ranch. Simple and delicious. Pizza Croissant (La Farm Bakery) - A great alternative to traditional pizza at the fair! Plus you can carry it around.